Optical markets across Europe grew by 1.9 per cent last year to total €15bn according to market researcher GfK.
Germany remained the driving force with sales value growth of 4.5 per cent, said GfK at this week's Mido exhibition in Milan.
Spain posted the next best increase at 1.5 per cent, followed by France on 1 per cent and Italy marking time with growth of just 0.2 per cent. Sector by sector, frames and sunglasses provided the best growth with its market value rising by 5.3 per cent during the year. Frames saw their value increase by 1.9 per cent and a special mention was made about the move to heavier acetate styles for men.
Ophthalmic lenses posted a growth of 1.3 per cent but this was well down on the growth of 2.8 per cent the previous year. The markets for contact lenses and solutions grew by 1.6 per cent and 1.2 per cent respectively.